


Five Stars

by Fire_Bear



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 15:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11382912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: It's Alfred's birthday and that means he's spoiled by his boyfriends.





	Five Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on Tumblr said I should write a FrUKUS story so I tried to think of one. Unfortunately, I realised it wasn't really a one-shot so I had to give up on doing that right now. I'll have to do that later, once I'm finished my other ones. However, I did then decide to write one for a certain person's birthday so... Here we go!

Alfred woke on his birthday to the familiar smell of baked goods and the equally familiar weight of Arthur sprawled across his chest. Wrapping one arm around Arthur to hold him close, Alfred rubbed at his eyes with the other before blindly searching for his glasses on the bedside table. Once he had them perched on his nose, he turned his head and peered at the digital alarm clock: **11:31**. He smiled at his first birthday treat: a long lie with Arthur.

Carefully, he shifted his boyfriend so that he could roll onto his side to watch him sleep. Unfortunately, as usual, his movements caused Arthur to stir and he was soon groaning in protest. Alfred chuckled, stroking a knuckle down Arthur's cheek. Arthur grumbled some more, shifting so he could press his face into Alfred's chest. With his face hidden, Alfred took to stroking down Arthur's body, from his soft hair to the small of his back. Arthur squirmed and pulled away, blinking blearily at Alfred.

"What _are_ you doing?" he demanded, speech a little slurred from sleep. 

"I wanted to watch you wake up," Alfred told him with a grin.

"And, I ask you again, why does that involve  _waking me up_ ?"

"Can't you smell that? Fran's been cooking!"

Frowning, Arthur obediently sniffed and hummed in pleasure. "Huh. So he has. I never would have guessed," he added, sarcastically.

At that point the door opened and Francis entered, holding aloft a tray filled with food and a mug of something steaming – likely coffee, from the smell. It looked just as enticing and delicious as the man holding it. Francis was smiling happily, hair pulled back as he usually had it when cooking, something which made him all the more attractive to both Alfred and Arthur. He was also wearing form-fitting clothes which made Alfred eye him as he strode to the bed.

"Good morning, you two," Francis said as he placed the tray on the bedside table. He bent over to give them both kisses to the forehead. "And bon anniversaire, Alfred!"

"Aw, thanks, Fran," said Alfred cheerfully, grinning up at him. "Is this my birthday breakfast in bed?"

"Indeed it is."

"Yes," Arthur piped up, levering himself up onto his hands and knees, hovering beside Alfred. "Happy birthday, Al." And he leaned over to give Alfred a quick kiss on the lips which Alfred barely got to return before he pulled away. Arthur then pulled Alfred into a sitting position. "Don't eat lying down," he scolded, "or you'll choke."

"I know," Alfred replied with a roll of his eyes. He shuffled backwards until he was sitting against the pillows and held out his hands. "Breakfast!" he exclaimed, expectantly.

Both Arthur and Francis shook their heads but they were sporting amused smiles so Alfred didn't complain. Francis obliged and lifted the tray to place it on Alfred's lap. "I made croissants, since you say mine are the best. And cr ê pes with a variety of fillings: chocolate, strawberry and caramel. There's also an orange that I've peeled and will be  _happy_ to feed you." He paused to wink at Alfred but, when Alfred just smiled back at him, bemused, he finished his list. "And your coffee, of course."

"Wait a minute," said Arthur suddenly, drawing both Alfred and Francis's attention. Alfred's smile grew. Arthur's hair was all over the place and was sticking straight up in places. In contrast to Francis's well-dressed form, he was wearing only a pair of boxers which were barely hanging onto one hip: he must have grabbed a pair of either Francis or Alfred's boxers while looking for something to sleep in after their fun the night before. He looked just as delectable as Alfred's meal. Which, now that he noticed, wouldn't be enough for Arthur as well... "Where's mine?" Arthur demanded, frowning at Francis.

"It's not your birthday, Arthur. Go eat at the kitchen table, like the civilised man you are."

"I'll show you 'civilised'," Arthur grumbled. But the lure of freshly-made food must have been more attractive than starting an argument with their boyfriend so, with one last kiss to Alfred's cheek, he scrambled off the bed and walked out of the room, holding the boxers up with one hand.

"What about you?" Alfred asked Francis, knife and fork in hand.

"I can survive off your beautiful body – which, may I add, is still delightfully naked." Francis's eyes sparkled with the promise of fun activities but Alfred was far hungrier than aroused so he only nodded in response.

He began to eat, continuing to talk around his fork. "So, what's the plan today? There's fireworks involved, right?"

Francis sighed. "Arthur's told you plenty of times not to speak with your mouth full, Alfred." When Alfred only shrugged a shoulder and continued eating, humming with approval at each mouthful, Francis added, "There may or may not be. You'll have to wait and see, won't you?"

Alfred pouted but it was wiped off his face as he took another bite and a blissful smile formed instead. They lapsed into silence as Alfred continued eating until he had completely cleared the plate. He held the tray out to Francis and looked up at him with pleading eyes, hoping for more. Francis smiled and rose, calling out to Arthur.

"Bring forth the second tray!" he cried as he walked to the bedroom door.

"Do it yourself!" Arthur shouted back. "This was your idea."

"Tsk! What kind of boyfriend are you?"

"The tired one who wanted to sleep more but got woken by you two."

Shaking his head, Francis bowed his head slightly in Alfred's direction. Alfred tried not to laugh at the fact that, in his black and white clothes, Francis looked a lot like a butler. "I'll be but a moment," he said, grandly and hurried off. Not too long afterwards, Alfred could hear his boyfriends bickering with each other and he couldn't help laughing as he flopped back on the pillows.

* * *

Once Alfred had finished eating and Arthur had showered and dressed, Francis spread his arms and declared, "Presents!"

"Right now?" asked Arthur, eyeing Alfred. "He's not even dressed yet. Shouldn't we-?"

"Presents!" Alfred shouted over him, bouncing on the bed. It creaked alarmingly and all three of them winced. "Is it, er, a stronger bed for having more fun on?"

"Does it _look_ as if we got a new bed?" Arthur pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"No..."

"I'll give you mine first," said Francis. He left Alfred's side (where he'd been hovering as he ate) and made his way to one of the wardrobe's. Bending over, he pulled out one of the drawers at the bottom and reached in. Alfred stared at him as he did so, remembering what they had been up to the night before and suddenly hoping his present would be in much the same vein. When he glanced at Arthur, he noticed his other boyfriend was also watching Francis, running his tongue over his bottom lip till he snapped out of it as Francis straightened. "I hope you like it," Francis told Alfred as he handed over the package, accompanied by a wink which suggested he knew full well that they'd been staring.

"What is it?" asked Alfred, even as he unwrapped the shining, golden paper. Somehow, he wasn't surprised when some neatly folded clothes fell onto his lap. Really, it was the same every year, though Alfred appreciated the thought and effort Francis put into it each time.

"Your birthday suit," Francis replied, with another wink.

Alfred smiled. Despite it always being some kind of outfit from Francis, he knew he would use it at _something_ during the year. Usually, it was some sort of fancy shirt and a pair of matching pants which he wore at birthdays and, if it really was a suit, it would definitely be used when they took Francis to his usual fancy restaurant for _his_ birthday dinner. He unfolded the items and held them up, blinking at how fancy the suit looked, the red lining very dapper. The outside of the jacket and trousers was a dark blue, almost navy but not quite. Along with that was a crisp, white shirt and Alfred suddenly realised that the suit was fitting for the day. There was a thin, red tie as well which Alfred made sure to set on top of the pile so he didn't lose it.

"Thanks, Francis. This is amazing."

"I should think so," said Francis with a sniff. "It's Armani."

At that, Arthur sighed. "Really, Francis? All that money for a _suit_? For _Alfred_. When does he wear suits? He doesn't even wear a suit to the fancy restaurants you drag us to all year."

"Well, he will now. Right, Alfred?" said Francis pleasantly, though there was a sharp tone to his voice.

Grinning, Alfred shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

_Both_ of his boyfriends rolled their eyes at that.

"I think it's time for my present," Arthur declared. "I'll just go get it."

"Wait, where did you hide it?" Alfred asked as Arthur leapt to his feet and made his way out of the room.

"The cupboard," Arthur told him over his shoulder.

"But you sent me in there yesterday to get the vacuum cleaner!" Alfred called out.

"It's on the top shelf!"

"The top shelf?" murmured Francis, giving Alfred a worried look. "I hope he can reach..."

Alfred gave Francis a reassuring smile. "He got it up there, didn't he? He'll be fine."

Almost as soon as he said that there was a cry, a quiet thud and then a great clatter. Alfred quickly shoved his present aside as Francis stood, rushing to the doorway. "Arthur?!" he called, the worry evident in his voice.

"I'm all right..." was Arthur's reply. "More or less."

Swinging his legs off the bed, Alfred told Arthur, "Don't move! We're comi-"

"No, Al!" Arthur snapped. "It's your birthday. I'm _fine_." His words were punctuated with clattering and thuds but he didn't cry out so Alfred assumed he was putting back the things that fell.

Francis and Alfred exchanged worried looks. "I'll go take care of him," said Francis with a weary sigh. "You relax. Like Arthur said, it's your birthday."

"How am I supposed to relax when something's wrong?!" Alfred exclaimed but his boyfriends ignored him and he was left to sulk on the bed alone.

It wasn't long, though, till they both returned, Arthur rubbing his head and wincing, wrapped present under his other arm. When he caught Alfred's worried, questioning stare, he sighed and looked away. "I... lost my balance, trying to reach it. Hit my head on the corner of the shelf and knocked everything over. Everything's back in its place, though, so no need to worry!"

"I wasn't worried about the stuff in the cupboard – what about you?!"

"I'm _fine_ ," Arthur insisted. "My head's just a little sore but it'll pass. Now, here you go." And he handed over the package.

Where Francis's present was wrapped in gold paper, Arthur's was wrapped in Star Trek wrapping paper, the Enterprise dotted across it. Grinning, Alfred ripped it open (ignoring Arthur's grumbles about it being a waste) and found a blue box decorated with Star Wars stickers. Impressed, Alfred laughed. "Where'd you get the stickers?" he asked Arthur.

"Well, the official ones I got online but these ones..." Arthur sat down beside Alfred, squeezed his eyes shut for a moment (to Alfred and Francis's worry) and leaned over to point out a few which looked more like fan art. "I got them from that convention you took us to a little while ago. But this is just what your presents are in. Go on; open it up!"

Not needing further prompting, Alfred lifted the lid and peered inside. As usual, Alfred was blown away by the effort Arthur had put into his presents. The first thing he saw was the Lego Batman clock. He gasped when he saw it and pulled it out, ecstatic. "Oh, wow, Artie! This is awesome!"

"I thought you might like it," Arthur said with a fond smile.

Francis sighed. "I take it that thing is going to end up in here."

"Yup!" Alfred replied, cheerfully. He stood it on the bedside table before turning back to the box. He drew out a mug and something rattled inside it. Once he'd pulled it out, he stared at the two Star Wars items: a small R2-D2 keyring which looked as though it lit up; the mug had deactivated lightsabers lining it. "Oh, cool," he said, not really sure what he was looking at.

"When you put your coffee in," Arthur explained, "the mug will change colour-"

"The lightsabers will activate!" Alfred finished in excitement.

"Yes. And watch this – I activated it before I wrapped it up." Arthur suddenly pursed his lips and whistled. Immediately, the R2-D2 in Alfred's hand began to flash and whistle in response. "Now you'll know where your keys are without waking us up," said Arthur sternly, though he looked amused. "And it's a torch, too, so it should be handy."

"Oh, wow!"

"There's one more thing..." Arthur added, hesitantly. "I'm not sure if you'll like it..."

Alfred looked into the box and realised there was some sort of t-shirt at the bottom. Setting aside his other presents, he pulled it out and shook it so he could give it a good look. On a purple background was an odd looking creature and the words **Ilvermorny** and **Pukwudgie**. He grinned. "Awesome," he said, looking up at Arthur as he waited impatiently for Alfred's verdict. Arthur immediately gave Alfred a relieved smile and watched as Alfred picked up the keyring and whistled to it, pleased with his haul.

"Yes, yes," said Francis, with a sigh. He placed a hand on his hip and gestured at the presents with the other. "Arthur gave you the best present, as usual."

"Don't be like that, Franny," said Alfred with a happy smile. "Yours is awesome, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Alfred scrambled off the bed, shoving aside the presents for the moment. Once on his feet, he pulled Francis into an embrace. Ignoring the way Francis's hands trailed down to his ass cheeks and squeezed, Alfred gave his boyfriend a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Franny! Best boyfriend ever!"

"Hey!" Arthur protested.

Grinning, Alfred pulled away, spun around, watched Arthur's eyes get drawn down to his crotch and launched himself back onto the bed and into Arthur's surprised embrace. He wrapped his arms around Arthur and held him tight. "Thanks for the presents, Artie! Best boyfriend ever!"

"Second to Francis, you mean," Arthur said, dryly. But he was clearly amused, his lips curving upwards in a small smile – one which Alfred loved.

" _Equal_ ," Alfred insisted.

"Oh, in that case," said Francis – and, suddenly, Alfred had arms wrap around him from behind. Arthur laughed as they ended up in a threeway hug, Alfred keeping the combined weight of himself and Francis off the smaller man with his knees. Eventually, Alfred couldn't keep himself up any longer and he rolled him and Francis to the side so that all three of them were lying on their sides, Alfred facing Arthur and his boyfriends facing him. "Well, Alfred," said Francis. "What would you like to do this afternoon?"

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, turning his head to look over his shoulder at him.

"We have something to do this evening," Arthur explained, drawing Alfred's attention back to him. "So, in the meantime, we'll let you pick what we do."

"We're not having a party?"

"No," Arthur admitted with a pinched look. "We invited people but they're busy elsewhere, unfortunately. That's why you get to pick what we're doing."

Alfred blinked at him for a moment, at a loss as to what to say. It was strange to be able to pick what they were doing. When he had his birthdays with his families, he would always have barbecues. Once he'd moved in with Arthur and Francis, they had held parties and invited all of their friends, usually taken over the shared back yard. It would definitely feel odd, not seeing any of them today if they weren't having a party. A thought came to him and he smiled.

"Let's go to the park and get ice cream!" he declared. Quickly, he pried his boyfriends from him and stood. "We can see if we can see people we know having picnics or something!"

"That's a good idea," Francis agreed, standing up and smoothing out his clothes till they were pristine again.

Arthur stayed sprawled on the bed and raised an eyebrow. "Not till you get dressed, Al. You're still starkers, dear."

* * *

Their trip to the park was fun. It was noisy in the park with children running around, dogs barking, people laughing and the constant chatter. Alfred added to it by laughing, spinning around and almost falling over a yelling kid before dragging his two boyfriends along since they were going too slow.

Funnily enough, they bumped into their next door neighbours, a couple they often invited to their 4th of July party. Toris teased Alfred that it would be quite relaxing when they got home that night. They chatted for a while before they moved on and the three boyfriends finally got their ice cream.

As they meandered through the park, Alfred looked at Francis and Arthur. "So, why are we not having a party? Or at least a barbecue? Toris and Feliks don't look busy."

Arthur smiled, trying to hide it behind the swirl of ice cream on his cone, the red sauce winding down it. "I told you, we've got something planned." When he lowered his cone to lick the ice cream, Alfred was treated to the sight of Arthur with ice cream on his nose, his tongue daintily licking at his treat as if he was a cat.

Grinning, Alfred leaned over and licked it off him. "Does it involve a bed?" he teased. Arthur turned red and turned his head away, biting off the tip of his ice cream so he couldn't speak.

"That's just not fair," declared Francis with a pout. He'd opted for an orange popsicle – for the shape of it, or so he said. "Arthur gets all the attention," he complained, sucking on the popsicle to punctuate what he said.

For a moment, both Alfred and Arthur looked at each other. Then Arthur smirked, Alfred grinned wide and they stepped closer to Francis. Before he could say anything, they both poked his cheeks with their ice creams. When they stepped back, Francis was sporting a chocolate cheek and a strawberry cheek. "There," drawled Arthur. "You're getting attention now."

Francis narrowed his eyes. "How _dare_ you?" he said, quietly. If it had been anyone else on any other day, Alfred was sure Francis would be serious about the situation. Instead, Alfred could see the amusement twinkling in Francis's eyes and he laughed in response.

"Don't worry, Franny. I'll get it off!" And he leaned over to lick it off.

But he was thwarted in his efforts as Francis whacked him with the sticky end of his popsicle. Alfred shrieked and jumped backwards and out of range. "I'm not letting you near me with _that_ face! You're covered in chocolate!"

Arthur laughed, drawing their attention to see him swiftly backing away, licking at the melted ice cream which was running down his hand. "You both look ridiculous!" he declared. "I'll meet you back at the car – I'm not sticking around to be assaulted with frozen food!" And, before they could stop him, he turned and jogged off. With a yell, Alfred hurried after him, holding his ice cream out as if it was a weapon of some sort. Francis kept pace with him, wiping the ice cream off his cheeks with a finger to lick them away.

When they caught up to Arthur, a food fight ensued – none of them got off lightly.

* * *

Once Francis had driven home and they'd gotten the stickiness washed off and dressed up in suits (Alfred using his birthday present), Arthur was the one that got into the driver's seat. "I hope you're hungry," he said to Alfred as he called shotgun and leapt into the passenger's seat. "We're going to have a three course meal."

"Really? Where?" asked Alfred.

"You'll see," Arthur replied with a secretive smile.

"And we're both sure you'll love it," Francis added from the back seat.

They said no more on the subject, changing the topic of conversation enough that Alfred was soon distracted. They drove through their town and came to the outskirts on the other side which was odd because the only thing at that side was the university campus and the many different science buildings. Which included...

"You didn't!" exclaimed Alfred with a gasp as they pulled into the parking lot.

His boyfriends only chuckled as Arthur put the car into park. Alfred stared out at the building they were about to go in, eyes wide. Surely they hadn't pulled off something like this? How did they get the permission or even get the keys? The place should be closed for Independence Day...

Then Alfred saw Kiku emerge from the building, smiling at him. Kiku waved and Alfred waved back, bewildered. Beside him, Arthur slid from his seat and hurried around the car to greet their friend as Alfred unbuckled his seat belt. They exchanged something and, before Alfred could even get out of the car, Kiku left them, heading to his own car. Alfred watched him, confused.

"What's going on?" Alfred asked as he opened his car door. "Is Kiks not gonna stick around?I mean, this _is_ a surprise party, right?"

On the other side of the car, Francis chuckled. "No. No parties." He walked around the car and held out his arm. Alfred stared at it for a moment before linking arms with him. "Come along, then. Arthur's waiting for us."

They walked over and Arthur shook his head. "Honestly!" he exclaimed. "What's taking you so long?" And he grabbed Alfred's other hand and began to drag him into the building. Alfred could barely believe they were going to be in it on their own.

The place was wreathed in darkness, only the emergency lights showing them the way. After navigating the reception area and the corridors beyond, they finally came to their destination. As always, Alfred looked up to see the pinpricks of light, bright instead of faintly spied between streetlights. They provided a little more light to show the usual tiered seats and the steps to the 'performance area', where a staff member would describe the stars. When Alfred looked down there, he found more lights, this time flickering from the open flames of candles. They were set upon a round table with three chairs set around it. Close by were three trolleys with three covered dishes waiting, the metal glinting with the candlelight.

Apparently, they were about to have a candlelit dinner in the planetarium.

Standing in the doorway, Alfred could only stare at the set up. He only realised that his boyfriends were waiting for him when Arthur tugged on his hand. Looking down, he saw Arthur's pleased smile. "We begged Kiku for the use of the planetarium. I was sure you'd love this. Dining under the stars."

"Even _I_ loved the idea," said Francis. "Arthur really came through."

Though it was too dark to tell, Alfred was sure Arthur was blushing. "Thanks..." he murmured, turning his head away slightly.

Silence fell for a second. Then Alfred pulled Arthur's hand up to his lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. "Thank you, Artie. This is..." He shook his head, unable to find the words.

"Do you remember that restaurant you love?" Francis asked. "The one with the 'amazing, delicious burgers'? Well, we went there for our food, had them deliver it just before we arrived. That's why Kiku was here – he spent a few moments of his time to meet them and help them take everything inside."

"Really?" said Alfred.

"Francis was the one who suggested that and organised everything," Arthur told Alfred, nudging him towards their boyfriend.

Smile spreading on his face, Alfred followed the movement and leant into Francis, kissing him on the cheek. "That's amazing! I'm so excited!"

"We are, too," said Francis. "We're looking forward to your stories about the stars."

* * *

Alfred did, indeed, tell them the stories of the discoveries of the stars and the constellations as they ate. Arthur and Francis happily watched him and would finish each course before him. To make sure Alfred ate the food, both of his boyfriends would take over the stories. Francis would weave stories of love and fate and tie it to the people he imagined from the constellations. Meanwhile, Arthur took to reciting the actual mythology or coming up with his own stories of tragedies and self-sacrifice.

Eventually they finished eating and Arthur began to clean up. Francis pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times and music began to play, a beautiful, sweet melody. Pulling Alfred into his arms, Francis began to lead him in a waltz, dancing beneath the stars. It was a very romantic moment and Alfred couldn't help but blush, though he laughed and took over at points. Once Arthur had finished putting everything of the restaurant's dishes and candles onto one of the trolleys and moved the table further to the side, Alfred peeled away from Francis and danced with him. Before Francis could pull Alfred back to him after a while, Alfred twirled Arthur into Francis's arms and watched them dance, fond smile on his lips as he swayed in time with the music.

The song ended and Alfred threw himself at his boyfriends, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders. "Thanks for this. You're the greatest boyfriends ever!"

"We know," said Arthur and Francis in unison, both of them smirking.

Rolling his eyes, Alfred turned to Francis and kissed at his chin until Francis turned towards him. Then he pressed his lips against his, letting his tongue flick out to swipe across Francis's lips. Francis obediently parted his lips and let Alfred kiss him more deeply. He pulled away after a moment, leaving Francis chasing the sensation, so he could turn to Arthur. His other boyfriend had his head turned mostly towards him but he'd ducked it, likely to hide the blush he couldn't really see. So Alfred kissed at the corner of his mouth: it made Arthur turn, half in surprise, to present him with better access to his mouth. Alfred pulled him closer as they kissed, smiling when their tongues moved to meet each other. For a while, they kissed till Alfred felt Francis tugging at his jacket.

"There's another surprise for you," he told Alfred as he and Arthur parted, a string of saliva connecting them. Alfred licked it up as he turned to Francis, blinking. "We have to go home for it," Francis explained; he seemed to also be reminding Arthur about it as he glanced beyond Alfred.

"Oh, yes," Arthur said, sounding a little dazed. "Come on, Al. Back to the car."

* * *

When they reached the car, Alfred insisted on sitting in the back with Francis. Arthur pouted a little but another deep kiss seemed to placate him. So Alfred and Francis clambered into the car and Alfred slid along to press up against his boyfriend. Francis seemed surprised for a second but he quickly wrapped his arms around Alfred and pulled him close. Alfred used the opportunity to kiss him as Arthur started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I think I know what the surprise is," Alfred sang once they'd parted for breath.

"Do you now?" said Arthur, sounding amused.

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself," Francis added with a chuckle.

Alfred pouted. "But I'm not getting a party so can't I decide what we do next?"

"The sun's setting, Al," Arthur pointed out, gesturing ahead of them. "It'll be dark soon."

"Fireworks," Francis murmured, kissing Alfred's jaw. "Watch them," he added, dipping down to kiss at his neck, sucking a mark there, all teeth and tongue.

"You'll find out what the surprise is when we get home," Arthur told him, sounding sulky.

Knowing he felt a little left out, Alfred reluctantly pulled away from Francis to move forward. He touched Arthur's arm and he startled, glancing at Alfred before looking back to the road. Then he tilted his head a little so Alfred had access to his neck and jaw where Alfred placed several kisses and bites. Francis thoughtfully braced him since he wasn't wearing his seat belt, his hands gripping Alfred's hips tightly.

Eventually, Alfred settled back, relaxing into Francis's attentions for the rest of the trip home. It wasn't long until they were at the converted building. There were lights on in their neighbouring flats as the trees behind their large garden blocked the remaining sunlight from the homes beneath them. Strangely, there was also a string of fairy lights leading the way along the path down the side of the building.

Frowning, Alfred turned to Francis who only smiled knowingly. "What...?" Alfred said. "Are we going into the garden? Did you get me another present?"

"You'll see," said Arthur. He got out of the car and opened Alfred's car door, bowing slightly with a flourish. "Come on."

He led Alfred and Francis along the pretty path and held open the gate. Alfred stepped through, still confused – at least, until a crowd of people suddenly threw their arms in the air and shouted, "Happy birthday!"

Staring, Alfred noticed that all of their friends were gathered around the barbecue where they'd clearly been feeding themselves. Ludwig seemed to be manning it, Feliciano hanging off his elbow. Toris waved at him from where he sat, Feliks's arm around his waist. Kiku inclined his head before returning to his conversation with Alfred's brother, Matthew. Beside Matthew, Gilbert and Antonio were jumping up and down and waving both arms.

"We know you love your parties," Francis said, drawing his attention away from them.

"So we made sure to organise one," Arthur finished, grinning at Alfred and clearly proud to have kept it a surprise.

"This... This is the best!" Alfred exclaimed, flinging his arms around the both of them. "Thank you so much! Love you both!"

"Love you, too," Arthur and Francis chorused.

Happy to hear the words, his heart feeling full, Alfred excitedly bounded off to have a fun party, eager to end his birthday with both his friends and the ones he loved.


End file.
